Dead or Alive
by KaydenceRei
Summary: Why the hell was it that the one dead person he wanted to see, didn't seem to be coming back? Based on promo for the next episode.


**Author's Note**: Okay, so this little one-shot is based off seeing the promo for next week's episode. Hope you guys like it!

I'm putting it out there for **CarolynneRuth**, for always being such a nice person when we talk!

**Dead or Alive**:

Sawyer was tired of this. Tired of the god-damned island and all it's god-damned death. Somebody up there must think its pretty funny to screw with peoples lives, to ruin things. He should have been used to that, but he wasn't. So instead he stood broken in the house he shared with _her_. He had never once in his life thought he'd be the kind of guy to settle down. To be the kind of guy who even _thought_ about marriage.

But after sharing that with Kate, telling her that he _wasn't_ the man he always thought he was.. he realized he was. Because even when he had wanted to settle, to be with one person for the rest of his life, she was gone. Juliet was gone, laying a few feet under the ground. And he was pissed. Pissed because Sayid got his second chance.

A man who had lived most of his life torturing people, got a second chance. What the hell had Juliet done? She'd tried to survive and that was it. She had tried to free herself from this place and see her sister, her nephew. He stood there wanting to blame anyone and everything for Juliet's death, especially Jack. But he realized he couldn't. This wasn't Jack's fault. It was his own fault.

He'd been selfish, asking Juliet for two weeks. She gave him three years. Three years that she could have spent free of the island and she chose to keep his stupid lonely ass company. She'd been selfless in that decision. Why the hell didn't _she_ deserve to have a second chance?

"James."

Sawyer turned immediately, shocked at the voice he heard. He stared at the man he thought was dead. What the hell was with this island? Why were dead people popping up everywhere? Why the hell was it that the one dead person he wanted to see, didn't seem to be coming back? "I thought you were dead," he stated carefully, trying to hide the bitterness.

Locke eyed him, but smiled. "I was," he retorted.

"Sonuvabitch.." Sawyer muttered. Maybe he shouldn't have buried her. What if she magically woke up like everybody else? What if.. no. There were no what-if's. If everyone else was waking up from the dead then she could too, couldn't she? And being multiple feet under the ground, she'd simply die again. He had to go get her.

Locke raised both eyebrows up accordingly. "Let's take a walk."

Sawyer narrowed his eyes. "I got somewhere to be," he told him.

"Trust me," Locke stated. "You're going to want to see this."

Sawyer watched as Locke turned and left his house. No.. _their_ house. What the hell did people want from him? Why did they _all_ insist on following him? "Dammit," he muttered under his breath before following behind him. "Wait up, Tarzan," he growled out. "We need to make a stop."

Locke turned and looked at him. "No we don't," he assured him.

"I needa'.."

"No," Locke stated, more forcefully this time as they entered the jungle.

Sawyer narrowed his eyes once more. "Where the hell we goin'?" he asked out of annoyance. He had to get back to Juliet's grave.

"There's something I need to show you," Locke explained carefully.

Sawyer frowned, glancing up as he felt the cold wetness hit his face and hand. "What the hell?" he questioned. "It's freakin' raining?"

Locke chuckled.

Sawyer glanced around, then looked behind him. A few feet behind him there was no rain, not even a hint of a puddle. Where they were now, the ground was almost a swamp. And it took Sawyer a moment to realize they were heading towards Juliet's grave anyways. "What's goin' on?"

Locke kept his eyes ahead of him. "It follows her."

"What?" Sawyer asked incredulously. "What follows who?"

Locke smiled back at him and stepped aside. "The rain.." he answered.

Sawyer looked ahead and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Believe me, I was as shocked as you are now," Locke stated. "Well.. maybe more," he admitted. "Imagine my surprise when it starts pouring down rain and I see a hand.."

Sawyer looked to Locke instantly.

"So I grab that hand, and who do I find attached to it?" Locke questioned. He nodded his head over at her. "I'll give you two a moment."

Sawyer watched Locke turn and walk away. Almost instantly he was at her side and he wasn't sure what to do. She was sitting against a tree, her head hanging, her lips moving and mumbling something unintelligible. "Juliet!" he said quickly, placing his hand over hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

She looked up, her blue eyes lost in pure confusion. "Rachel.."

"No.." he told her quietly. "No, Juliet.. it's James.." he stated. What was wrong with her? Right before she'd died she'd been mumbling about getting a coffee sometime and going dutch. Now she was calling him Rachel?

"Met a guy.." she mumbled to him, her head lolling to the side a little. "Gonna get coffee..sometime.."

Sawyer frowned, staring at her dazed look. He placed one hand on her cheek and he took his other hand, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "C'mon sweetheart, snap outta it.." he requested. Great, she was back to talking about coffee again. "Juliet, come on.."

Her eyes glazed a little as she looked at him. "Rach.."

Sawyer couldn't help but feel frustrated. "Juliet, it's James, c'mon.. look at me here," he stated, moving her face gently so she was looking into his eyes.

Juliet narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to focus. She watched as Sawyer's face came into focus in front of her. Bruised, confused, worried. "James..?" she questioned out of confusion.

"That's right.." he told her, for what felt like the millionth time.

"I don't understand.." she said quietly.

James smiled a little, moving some of her wet hair out of her face. "Me either blondie.. me either.." he admitted.

"No.." she said softly, letting her hand graze the side of his face. "This isn't real James.."

Sawyer stared at her with uncertainty. "You ain't makin' any sense.." he told her.

Juliet wrapped her arms around him. She placed her head on his shoulder, her lips grazing his ear gently as she spoke. "This.. us," she told him. "This isn't real.."

Sawyer was unmoving for a moment, trying to take in her words.

"Not unless you remember.."

Sawyer pulled away from the embrace and stared at her. "I remember everythin'," he told her, more then a little confused. "I can see you, touch you.. feel you," he told her. "Yer' real.."

Juliet felt her eyes softening. "I'm not.. you're not, _we're_ not, James.." she assured him. "But we can be.."

Sawyer frowned. "I don't get you.."

She smiled at that. "You should probably run.." she told him softly.

"What?" Sawyer questioned immediately.

"You can catch up to Kate.." she muttered, leaning her head back against the tree. "Go."

Sawyer couldn't even believe what he was hearing. "You lost your mind?" her questioned. "I'm with _you_, blondie.."

The ghost of a smile was back on her lips. "And you would stay with me.. forever if I asked you to," she repeated quietly.

"So ask me," Sawyer told her.

"I'm asking you.." Juliet told him. "I'm asking you to run. It's coming."

Sawyer glanced around. "What's coming?" he questioned quickly.

"That wasn't Locke.." she told him. She placed her hand on his cheek again, letting her thumb graze his lower lip. "He's going to kill us.."

Sawyer heard, rather then saw, what Juliet was talking about.

"Go.. run!" Juliet told him.

Sawyer shook his head. "I'm with _you_, blondie.. you gotta come too."

Juliet shook her head. "Gotta go back.. to reality now.."

"What?!" Sawyer questioned immediately. "Juliet! JULIET!" he yelled, shaking her slightly. "This _IS_ reality!"

Juliet let a sigh escape. "He'll take me back.. need to let him take me back."

"That thing'll kill you!" Sawyer told her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Juliet placed her lips against his lightly. "I want us to be real.." she whispered against his lips.

"_It worked."_

"_Well, what'd she wanna tell me?"_

"_That's what she wanted to tell you.. It worked."_

"_WHAT worked?!"_

Sawyer pulled her close to him and watched as the smoke began coiling around them.

"You could still run.." Juliet whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

Sawyer shook his head. "Not without you.." he assured her. And inside he was cursing himself. "We shoulda' gotten married.." he told her.

"Mm.. still could.. maybe one day.." she answered.

And as the smoke enclosed around them, he was positive she couldn't be more then wrong. This had to be the end.

~*~*~

_LAX,_

_Los Angeles, California._

_September 22nd, 2004._

Sawyer watched as the brunette walked off the elevator before turning and going to wait for his connecting flight. He sat down in a seat near his terminal and put his head in his hands. He was getting one massive migraine and his ears were definitely starting to ring. He arched an eyebrow up as she saw a pair of high heels click passed him. He couldn't help himself but to look up. And did he ever look up. Those legs could've gone on for miles.

He watched carefully as a man proceeded after her and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, we should go out," the man finagled. "It's been a while."

Sawyer watched as the woman turned to look at the man. And he was struck almost instantly.

"_I want us to be real.._"

"Right well.. we could get coffee sometime," she stated.

"_We could get coffee sometime.. we can go dutch.._"

Sawyer stared at the blonde with uncertainty. "Juliet.." he muttered. He.. her.. no.. _them_. _They_.. they were real.

"_Not unless you remember._"

'_I remember!_' he thought instantly. '_Sonuvabitch, I remember!_' he couldn't believe it. _'She was right. It worked. I thought she was delirious but she was right!_'

"How about now?" the man questioned.

Juliet arched an eyebrow at him. She pulled her hand from his. "I'm meeting someone," she informed him.

"I don't see anyone."

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Let go, Ed."

"Ahem.."

Juliet and Edmund Burke both looked up at the intruder.

"S'cuse me," Sawyer stated, glancing at Edmund. "But yer' interuptin' my coffee appointment."

Edmund raised both eyebrows up and looked at Juliet. "Jules..?"

Juliet smiled. "I told you I was meeting someone."

Edmund smirked. "Well, what's Mr. White Knight's name then?"

"James," they both answered automatically.

Edmund couldn't hide the surprise. "Right.. well.." he coughed slightly. "Guess your standards have.. dropped."

Juliet smirked. "Believe me," she stated. "My standards are much higher then they were when I met you."

Sawyer snorted out a laugh as he watched the man walk away steaming.

"I'm not certain anyone is going to understand my sudden.. aggressive change," Juliet informed him with a small smile.

Sawyer grinned, pulling her flush against him. "You got yer' life back, blondie."

Juliet smiled, wrapping her arms around Sawyer in return. "I got the alternative along with it, it would seem.." she assured him. "If you stay, that is.."

Sawyer leaned his forehead against hers. "You askin' me to?" he questioned.

Juliet smiled, closing her eyes. "Guess so," she answered. "About that coffee appointment you mentioned.." she whispered, her lips mere inches away from his now.

"What about it?" he muttered back, unable to help from smiling. If this was a dream, it was a damned good one.

"I was thinking.." she mumbled, now with her lips only centimeters away. "We can go dutch.. if you like."

Sawyer felt himself grin automatically. "That sounds great, blondie.." he replied, closing the distance between their lips.

A moment later when she pulled away he already felt like he should kiss her again.

"About your little proposal.."

Sawyer arched an eyebrow up.

Juliet smiled.

"I wasn't kiddin'," Sawyer assured her.

"I know," Juliet replied, placing her hand on his cheek. "Do you think you're the only person who knew about that little crick under the floorboards?"

Sawyer groaned. "Sonuvabitch, Juliet.." he muttered, shaking his head. "There's just no hidin' anything from you."

Juliet smirked. "That's why you love me," she pointed out.

"Oh no," Sawyer told her. "There's over a million reasons for that.."

Juliet was momentarily stunned. "What?"

Sawyer chuckled and he leaned forward, pulling her into yet another embrace. "There's a million reasons why I love ya', Juliet.." he whispered reassuringly in her ear.

Juliet felt her eyes soften and she rested her head on his shoulder again. "There's a million more for why I love you back, James."

**()()END()()**

**Wow. I have no idea. I just couldn't help myself. Damn dead people! I'm tired of seeing dead people! Unless I see Juliet. Hehe. Hope you guys enjoyed it! I needed that little breath of fresh air. Three cheers for cheeseballish fluff at the end! Yeeehaw!**

**-Sarah**


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